


A Fantastical Venture

by Gleekship



Category: Glee
Genre: AU, M/M, Mermaids, Scotland, lochness monster
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-15
Updated: 2014-04-15
Packaged: 2018-01-19 13:25:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1471465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gleekship/pseuds/Gleekship
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While in Scotland for Show Choir Internationals, Kurt and Puck find themselves wrapped into a secret group, the Lochness Monster, and some mermaids.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Fantastical Venture

_“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.”_

**― Charles Darwin**

The moonlit countryside is silent apart from the occasional burst of wind that stirs the ocean water as a young man sits in contentment on the cliffs edge: Kurt Hummel. His soft brown hair waved softly in the wind and his skin glistened under the moonlight. With his arms wrapped around his knees and his chin on them, he looked out with a small smile. It was a perfect night.

"Hey."

Kurt lifts his head looks up to find the familiar mohawked man, Noah Puckerman, standing nearby with a smile.

"Puck." Kurt smiles, still hesitant with the boy after all these years. "What are you doing out this far?"

"Just wanted some fresh air, I guess." Puck shrugs before gesturing to the empty space beside Kurt. "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all."

Kurt scoots over a bit on the grass and pats it for Puck. Puck smiles before looking out over the cover, breathing in the fresh air. The men become silent for a few minutes as Puck takes his seat by Kurt, mimicking his sitting position as well. Kurt goes to say something, but Puck beats him to it.

"I'm sorry, you know. For everything." Kurt looks over to find Puck looking down at his feet. "I made your life a lot worse than it should have ever been. I mean I tried making up for it, but I was always . . . it seemed like you hated me so I didn’t want to try anything and have you think that I was playing you.” Puck lets out a shaky breath before looking to Kurt with a soft smile, wringing his fingers together nervously. “So I'm determined to spend what few days we have out for the competition to make things up to you as well as Tina and Mercedes. I’ve actually already talked to them before I came down, but they’re a bit tipsy so I’m sure I’ll have to do this whole thing over again.

Kurt chuckles before looking to the boy, a small smile of his own forming. "I . . . well thank you, Puck." Kurt decides on, truly unsure of what else he should say.

Luckily for him, Puck doesn't dwell on the lack of reaction for too long and smiles. "So what are you doing out here instead of celebrating our arrival with everyone else? Shouldn’t you be getting hammered and trying to prevent Berry from kissing you like she did with Mike and Sam?"

Kurt sighs before smiling, happy for a new subject. "Well I’ve been lucky enough to avoid her drunkenness so far, but . . . we're in Scotland! I don't want to waste this great opportunity to actually see it instead of being cooped up and forced to rehearse again and again and-" Kurt stops with a nervous chuckle, realizing that his voice had been going up as the subject hit a nerve. “Sorry. I only agreed to come back for Internationals because of where it would be. Otherwise I’d be able to be back in New York and at my job.”

“Well you got me there.” Puck agrees, ignoring Kurt’s slight mishap of anger. “I’d love to be back home right now. College is actually pretty fun right now, but it’s nice out here. Being from Lima more or less means that I don’t have the money to go to places that I’d like too, which I thank glee for. I mean we’re in Scotland! We’re actually near the Loch. I’ve wanted to come to this place since I saw it in one of those Scooby Doo movies.”

“Scooby Doo and the Lochness Monster.” Kurt laughs. “I loved that one.”

“Me too.” Puck smiles before looking away with a content smile. “Now I want an adventure like Scooby and the gang as much as anyone, but enjoying the scenery and being able to enjoy a culture is good enough for me too.”

“Wow.” Kurt nods readily. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

Puck smiles wider before silence settles between the two. Kurt still found himself surprised at how Puck turned out to not be the boy in his mind. While they had become friendly and had the occasional conversation thanks to the glee club, Kurt was still hesitant around the boy. Not because of their history, but because of Puck’s attitude. He was never one to enjoy talking about sex or most video games, and that was perfect Puck territory. However, there were moments like these where it seemed like Puck was able to describe exactly how he felt, but it was actually how Puck felt. They were too similar at times and it made Kurt wonder what more was behind the man that he doesn’t know that he kind of wants to know. If he ever discovered that Puck had a hidden passion for musicals like Sweeny Todd or something in that field, he might freak out.

Kurt clears his throat and is about to ask Puck something, but he stops as his eye catches something in the water. He frowns as he looks back in the general direction of the flash, unsure if it was anything at all. He catches it again, the flash from it leaving his gaze unwavering. He blinks a few times before he nods, completely sure that he just saw a tail in the water. He almost jumps out of his skin as the long tail lifts out of the water before splashing down and submerging.

“What is that?” Kurt snaps as he sits forward, his eyes darting to the rippling water below. “Do you see that?”

“What?” Puck sits forward as well and looks to where Kurt is pointing, but only sees the ripples. “Probably just a fish.”

“But I saw . . . it was a tail. And it was . . . I know what I saw.” Kurt asserts calmly to himself before looking to Puck. “I’ll be right back. I just want to get a closer look.”

“Kurt.” Puck’s frustrated and confused voice does nothing to deter Kurt as he follows him to stand up. “What are you going on about? It’s just a ripple. Why are you acting like it’s some giant mystery?”

“Because I saw a tail.” Kurt stresses. “Normal . . . it wasn’t normal. Now you can call me crazy, and maybe I am, but I’m going to look for something logical. For all I know it could have been a trick of the water and a random log, but . . . I wanna know.”

“Fine.” Puck quickly agrees. “But I’m coming with. My head will be on a stick if anyone found out that I let you go searching in the water while it’s pitch black outside.”

“Well we have the moon with us.” Kurt smiles before turning on his heel and looking for a way down to the small beach bellow.

It might sound crazy, but he has to know. Also part of him might be on an energy high or the high to do something, but he’s not sure. He’s just happy that Puck agreed. Sure Puck might be thinking that he’s drunk because he was at the party for a bit after all, but he’s not drunk. He’s just an opportunist, and it gives him a way to look at things close instead of from the top of the cliff.

The climb down isn’t as bad as he would have thought of for the Scotland countryside. It was a bit ragged and steep at certain parts, but there seemed to be a thin trail that led down to the beach below. Kurt would shoot himself in the foot later if he finds out that he took an unnecessary route instead of this rocky path. He even tumbles a few times and Puck has to catch him, a hesitant smirk on his face.

Kurt takes a shaky step onto the soft sand, his eyes looking for any more ripples in the water or a flash of the tail. When he doesn’t move any further, Puck does and is happy to get close to the waters edge for a look. He kicks around the sand for a second before stopping to look out onto the water.

“Nothing.” Puck comments without looking at Kurt. “It’s just a . . . well there’s another ripple.” He observes as a gush of cold wind that hits them and the cliff’s wall. “But no tail, Kurt. Are you sure you saw what you think you did?”

“Yes . . . no. Like I said I could have been seeing something. Or rather hope that it was something.” Kurt finishes with a mutter, his downcast eyes taking in the sand instead of the water. “Is it weird that I wanted it to be something? I . . . I want something . . . to happen.

Puck sighs before walking over placing a hand on Kurt’s shoulder. “It’s fine. Now come on. I want you to be my bunkmate. That way I don’t have to share with Finn’s food or Mike’s love of being shirtless.”

Kurt chuckles as he goes to turn around, prepared to just go back inside, but he stops as a low rumble echoes against the cliff-side and across the water. Puck’s grip stays on Kurt, but he slowly looks around as he hears it too. It comes again with a large ripple across the water.

“Kurt . . .”

Kurt turns slowly away from Puck, looking out onto the water as something suddenly surges from the blue abyss. Kurt spots the tail that he had seen before, but it’s a long one attached to the body of an angry looking woman: a mermaid. As they jump back, the tail falls apart from the woman in time to let her land on two feet in front of them. Puck and Kurt would usually each have their own reactions to a naked woman, but each of them are shocked in fear at the sudden transformation of this woman.

The woman sneers as she steps forward, her long brown hair sticking against her wet body and her soft blue eyes piercing them.

"This is your fault.” She suddenly screeches. “Why don’t you humans just leave well enough alone! We don’t need you here. We need you to just go!”

She pulls a sharp jagged rock from her hair before lunging at them. Kurt quickly pushes Puck aside and brings his arms up to protect himself. Surprisingly, no attack comes. Only a scream.

Kurt drops his arms and watches as the woman is suddenly covered with a giant fishing net, her rock on the ground leaving her defenseless. Kurt’s eyes follow the rope from the back of the net, seeing it sink into the water. Before he can question it, the water ripples and they are suddenly hit with a large wave of water.

Kurt finds his back screaming with pain as he hits the cliff, the jagged edge being embedded into his body. As his head falls back in pain, he spots Puck only a few feet away from him rubbing his head after his own fall to the ground.

“Are you okay?” Kurt coughs out roughly as he pants into the wet sand.

“Yeah.” Puck answers weakly, letting his face rest into the sand as he grips onto his head. “But what the hell was that?”

“It’s-”

“Sorry, Gentlemen.” A deep and smirking voice interrupts Kurt, loud and echoing off of the large cove. “But thank you for luring out our lovely maid here.”

“Eat barnacle, you cretin.” The woman spits out from where she’s wrapped up on the water’s edge. “Your minion’s too.”

“But alas, my maid, these are not my minions.” The man suddenly chuckles. “But I do like the idea of having minions.”

Kurt groans to himself before lifting his head up from the sand and looking to the water. His eyes widen as he takes in a giant submarine sitting in the cove. On top of the heap of grey medal was a deck full of soldiers and a beefy guy in a uniform right in the middle. Kurt frowns, not recognizing any of the uniforms or what part that they would serve under. The big man up front, the leader, looked to be a muscled guy in his 30‘s with a shaved face and a cocky attitude. A very thin scar from his mouth to ear reflects the moonlight while his crooked smile reflects his white and straight line of teeth.

Kurt coughs as he sits up, beyond confused as to what was going on. He jumps out of his skin when a hand comes down on his shoulder, but it’s only Puck. He gives Kurt a hand and pulls him up.

“We need to go.” He whispers quickly into Kurt’s ear. “I don’t know what’s going on, but this isn’t a place for us. It’s better if we stay out of it.”

“But that woman.” Kurt mutters. “She’s a . . . she’s a mermaid.” Kurt has to stop a second to catch his breath, and his sanity. “And she’s also hurting.” Kurt’s voice suddenly becomes stronger and he clears his throat. “She needs our help. It doesn’t matter what’s going on - no one should be getting hurt here. Go get help. That’s what we need-”

“Oh none of you will be getting any help, I’m afraid.” The man gloats from his submarine. “As much as I love that you helped guide our young maid out, you’ve seen too much.”

“That’s such a damned cliche.” Puck suddenly yells. “Just let us go, dude. We have a party to get to and I’m pretty sure most people will think that we are just drunk right now. We hardly hang out so that just adds to the effect. Hell, I’d go get drunk after this just to play along.”

The man smiles, popping his knuckles along with his neck. “I doubt that.” His voice hardens as he straightens up and turns his head to the man closest to him. “Bring them in.”  
\-------------------------

Although they had tried making a run for it, they were both clasped in irons and flung into a single-file order as they were led into the submarine. Only Puck had remained uninjured while Kurt suffered from a cut on his forehead as he head butted one of the guys that tried to grab him. Puck had, surprisingly, went willingly. Kurt had yelled at him, but Puck just told him that there was nothing they could do. It was obvious that these guys were skilled and would risk hurting them if need be.

“Where are we going?” Kurt snaps as they are lead through one of the very white hallways, several guards around them. “Answer me.”

“Just leave it, Kurt.” Puck mutters as he gives Kurt a small smile, willing Kurt to actually see him instead of his own anger.

“No.” Kurt snaps, feeling angrier as he sees the smile. “I want to know where-”

“All in due time, kid.” Kurt snaps his head forward to see the leader waiting before them.

Kurt huffs as they come to a halt, taking a moment to take in everything.  There was a map of emergency exits on the side and it showed the that submarine was much bigger than the average one. The white halls made Kurt believe that it was more scientific based than military as well. The walls were lined up with a vast amount of doors that looked to all be locked with something going on inside if the various noises were any indication.

“Kid.” Kurt lets his eyes drift back to the leader of the group. “Don’t be getting any ideas. Why don’t you act like Mr. Softie over here?” The man references Puck’s solemn attitude with a smile. “Now I am Travis O’Keenan. Leader here of this small vessel. I’m sorry you had to end up with us in an unconventional way, but you can’t change the past.”

“What are you doing with that . . . that mermaid?” Kurt asks hesitantly, his eyes going to the floor as he tries to maintain himself.

Travis glares at Kurt for a short second before clearing his throat and smiling. “Our goal is none of your concern. What is your concern is that you will be here until we find a good way to . . . dispose of you.”

The way his mouth curls into a devious little smile has shivers running up both Puck and Kurt’s backs. Travis leans forward and has a quick hushed conversation with each of the front guards before looking up at Kurt and Puck with a smirk. Without any more comments, Travis turns on his heels and leaves Puck and Kurt to be taken down another hallway. Kurt looks to Puck for any response, but he finds the boy staring blankly into space.

Kurt squints his eyes at the boy before looking forward, curious about Puck. Puck’s never been one to buckle under pressure, so why was this time any different? What has him so reserved? It can’t be the danger part because Puck’s done plenty of stupid stuff in his life that are just as equally dangerous. He’s going to need to utilize both of their talents to get find a way out of this.

“Keep him talking.” Puck suddenly mutters as he steps closer to Kurt while attempting to not draw anymore attention to them. “You can do that right?”

“Yeah, but . . . what happened to you?” Kurt whispers back in a hushed tone, his eyes darting between Puck and the guards around them with slight fear.

“I was thinking.” Puck answers quietly. “I think I figured a way out.”

“Great.” Kurt states a little too loudly, giving them an eyeful from a nearby guard

“Now I almost have my handcuffs off. Lots of run-ins with the law.” Puck answers Kurt’s eyebrow raise with a smile. “It’s now coming in handy in a positive way. Anyways, I saw a few exit doors back there. If we can make it back to them, I think there are pods in there that will shoot us to the surface.”

“Pods? Escape pods?” Kurt’s doubtful as he frowns, his mind contemplating different scenarios. “And what if there’s nothing behind those doors.”

“Then we better start swimming.” Puck snaps before letting out a shaky breath and shaking his head slightly. “Sorry, but I don’t want to be here. This entire thing just doesn’t feel right and it’s making my skin crawl. Some serious stuff is going down and our odds of getting out without being in a body bag are looking slim. So I’m going to get my handcuffs off first before doing yours. After that . . . we’ll make a distraction. But that’s the best thing that I can think of unless you have anything.”

“No.” Kurt shakes his head with a frown, feeling a bit useless for not being as productive towards their escape as Puck is. “I guess that’s all we have.” Kurt sighs before looking forward. “Just don’t do anything stupid.”

Puck shrugs before smirking and nudging Kurt with his shoulder. “I’ve never had an impulsive idea that wasn’t great.”

“Slashing vocal adrenaline’s tires.”

“That-”

“Sleeping with Miss Corcoran.”

“But-”

“And kissing Rachel Berry.”

“I . . . alright you got me on that one.” Puck chuckles softly. “But usually I’m good-”

“Driving into an ATM.”

“When it comes to being spontaneous.” Puck continues on through gritted teeth. “Come on, Kurt. This is kind of a survival thing right now.”

Kurt chuckles to himself. It’s true that Puck has done a lot of stupid and reckless things in his life, but he definitely has come far from his former self. He stopped the bullying, attempted to be a good father, graduated; all were very important things as far as Kurt was concerned and he certainly wouldn’t condemn Puck without praising him as well.

Kurt smiles before dropping his jaw as they exit the hallway and enter a very wide room. Control panels fill the circular room along with many people controlling them. Dozens upon dozens of tables were spaced evenly throughout with computers, chemicals, and people of all kinds. Kurt would think more about how this seems to be a conspiracy theorists dream come true if it wasn’t for the giant glass window that showcased a lab experiment room with a mythical creature.

“Oh shi-”

“It’s the Lochness Monster.” Kurt mutters, his body feeling weak as he sees the enormous creature.

The giant beast seems to be unconscious as it lies on the white floor of the room. It’s brown and green skin seems to have faded into a giant blur. Its long neck was stretched out onto a second and third table, but it seemed deflated. Its large body was spread out on a giant table with machines all around it. Although he’s never actually seen, or believed, what the creature looked like outside of movies, it was clearly visible that it was malnourished. Its long neck was so skinny that it scared Kurt. It took him a few seconds of staring to finally see any sign of movement from the beast. Its breathing was so shallow and distant in between them that it almost looked like it was dead.

“A beauty isn’t she.” Travis’s voice echo’s in the large room as he steps in from behind them, his wardrobe anew but his smirk the same and recycled. “We came here tracking down a few mermaids, but found her. Now here I thought she didn’t exist, but she does. It’s got be deeply curious and now I’m wondering how many more beauties we might be able to find out in this ocean. We already have mermaids and the Lochness Monster, so what next? The giant squid? Maybe even an Aspidochelone? Why stop at creatures? We can find Atlantis, or discover the secret of the Bermuda Triangle. It’s brilliant and we’re only tasting the very tips of what life can give us.”

 

“You can rot in hell.” Kurt mutters under his breath as his eyes sending daggers in Travis’s direction, he himself cringing with each word that Travis had uttered. “These . . . creatures may not be human, but that does not give you the right to treat the like lab experiments or something to uncover. They’ve lived in peace for god knows how long and you shouldn’t be changing that just to get yourself off at night.”

Travis chuckles before signaling to a nearby guard with the nod of his head. “Bring in the maid. Since these two helped us find her, they can see how we deal with her.”

“What are you going to do with her?” Puck suddenly asks, as his handcuffs come free from behind his back from the years of practice.

Travis roars with laughter. “It speaks. Well about damn time, boy. Now if you follow simple direction you might make a good soldier yet. Do you need a job?”

“Not with the likes of you.” Kurt answers for Puck, the venom in his mouth making Puck flinch from the tone. “He’s better than that.”

“Well . . . we’ll see about that.” Travis chuckles before he turns towards the guard that’s dragging in the scrambling mermaid, her feet sliding on the floor. “Right on time.”

“Let me go, you scoundrel!” The mermaid screeches out as she struggles against the guard. “Just kill me and get it over with because I’m not-”

Travis’s loud chortles echo through the room, silencing the mermaids’ voice. “We won’t kill you yet. We’re just in the beginnings of finding out this earth’s many hidden treasures . . . and you’re going to help us find them all.” Puck steps up behind Kurt and starts on his handcuffs as everyone is focused on Travis. “Even if we get the lovely chance to make . . . you . . . scream.” Travis licks his lips as he walks over to the angry mermaid, whipping out a taser from his belt. “Now scream.”

The taser is pressed against the woman’s body and her piercing scream fills the room as Puck rushes forward in an attempt to help. “No.” Puck leaves Kurt’s handcuffs half-finished and runs a few yards with his eyes on Travis. “Stop. Stop!”

“You poor boy.” Travis sneers as he lets the woman drop to the ground from exhaustion and turns to Puck with his taser raised. “First you break my cuffs and then you have the audacity to try and stop man in his finest hour? No. She is un-human so I can do what I please with her. If you want to defend her, then be prepared for the same treatment.”

\------------------------

Silence hangs in the air as the boys stay curled in their own parts of their shared cell. The white cell seems cozy from the outside, but it’s far from that. Each of the benches that the boys are on are rock solid, cold as ice, and rocky. The cool walls don’t make for good comfort to lean against either. Since the room doesn’t have a toilet or actual beds, it seems that it’s just a temporary holding cell instead of something permanent: both a good thing and a bad thing depending on how the situation was approached.

Kurt is tinkering slightly with the handcuffs behind his back, but is otherwise staring off into the distance. The hope within him is gone and he’s at a loss for what to do. They are officially trapped and Kurt doesn’t know hot to get out of his handcuffs, and Puck can’t help him with the upgrades provided to his handcuffs.

Puck’s new and tighter handcuffs prevent him from moving much without feeling sharp pains go through his arms. He can’t even reach up to deal with the blood leaking down from his hairline after being taser-whipped, then tasered. His drowsiness and desire to sleep off the pain is only being deterred due to his sense of danger and will to survive.

Kurt shuts his eyes in an attempt to rest; feeling tired now that his energy rush is slowly leaving his body, but there’s a slight buzzing sound that’s irking him. He’s sure that it’s in his imagination, but it’s there nonetheless and he feels like groaning. First he has to deal with being imprisoned for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but now he has to deal with some insistent noise that’s embedding itself into his ears and nerves.

He would love to pop his fingers to, but his hands are still stuck behind his back. He just wants to do something instead of sitting their and waiting like a pig for slaughter. He wants to cry, or to sleep. He wants too . . . be honest for once before he dies.

“I’m afraid.” Kurt’s shaky voice finally breaks through the silence, making both boys flinch at the sudden noise. “Sorry.” Kurt quickly apologizes. “I just needed to . . . to say something. I can’t deal with-”

“I’m terrified.” Puck admits as he cuts Kurt off, his face wrinkling as if he’s about to cry. “Of so many things.”

Kurt nods, a tremble in his chin. “I’m alone.”

“I’m lonely.” Puck continues the pattern as he looks up at the ceiling with hopeless eyes.

Kurt sighs before making eye contact with Puck, shrugging before continuing on. “I’m insecure.”

“I’m fake.” Puck mutters.

Kurt licks his dry lips before looking down to his lap. “I’ve never been myself with anyone I know.”

“I’ve worn a mask since my dad left.”

“I’m a virgin.”

“I’m gay.”

“I’m-” Kurt stops before turning to look at Puck with his jaw dropped.

Puck brings his knees to his chest, wishing more than anything to have his arms free so he can hug himself. It’s been the secret that he’s been bearing for years and has never had the courage to tell himself. He figured that it was his last day of life, so someone might as well know. He sniffles softly before looking to Kurt, surprised to find the boy looking forward.

Puck is at a loss for words, surprised that he actually had the courage to come out in such an odd way than the normal ‘standardized’ way. “Kurt, I-”

“I’m strong, though.” Kurt takes in a deep breath. “I know that much.”

Puck smiles, happy that his biggest secret doesn’t seem to change how he appears to Kurt. “I’m living.” His smile gets bigger as he sees that his reveal doesn’t seem to faze Kurt in the slightest.

“I’m still going.”

“I’m . . . surviving.”

Kurt chuckles before swinging his feet off of the bench and looking to Puck, his fingers becoming more focused on his restraints. “We will survive.”

“Well as much as I love that we got everything out there, how?” Puck sits forward and puts his feet on the ground. “You can’t tell me that this wasn’t us . . . saying goodbye. Telling our stories of who we are. It . . . it sounds like a goodbye.”

“It was.” Kurt admits as he looks to the ground. “But things change . . . it needs to change. We just can’t give up. We’re in this . . . impossible situation. So why not think in impossible ways?”

“But how?” Puck presses. “We’re both locked up. Behind bars, might I add.”

“But you already helped me with-” Kurt grunts as his handcuffs unlock and he holds them up for Puck to see, smirking. “These. Don’t you remember?”

Puck slowly smiles before standing up. “What’s next?”

\---------------------------------

“Stand!”

Kurt is the first one out of the cell, keeping his hands in the loose handcuffs right behind his back to hide how free he actually is. Puck is right behind him, standing closer to Kurt than normal to help him conceal the freedom as well. They had decided that Puck would revert to his non-talking self, to both showcase how alone he is as well as how afraid of Travis that he was, and that Kurt would share any snarky insults that he could think of. It most likely wasn’t the best plan that they could come up with if they had a bit more time, but it was enough to get them by.

When they come to the first stop in the hallways, Puck bumps his head against Kurt’s shoulder to show him some support. “It’ll be okay. Just take it slow.”

Kurt nods quickly, still determined to keep his stern demeanor out there. He’s had years of practice at being a stone-cold person, at least on the exterior. If it was the way of surviving, then he’d make this one the best. He may not be some super action hero who can master mind and talk his way out of anything, but he is Kurt Hummel and he sure knows how to play his part.

“Can’t you just feel it?” Kurt’s voice makes the guards jump, but they keep walking him and Puck down the hallway. “It’s like the march of doom. Simply because we decided that we wanted to be human, and to act like human. We decided to help someone and now we’re doomed to be like you guys: slaves.”

“We’re down here on our own free will.” One of the rear guards snap. “Now-”

“Doomed to live under the water destroying earth’s great creatures instead of learning from them and maybe even befriending and finding more.” Kurt continues on before looking over his shoulder and winking at the rear guard. “Or maybe you just like being the butt of everything. Pun intended.”

“You little-”

“Hey.” The front guard stops and turns on his heel to glare at the rear guard. “We don’t talk to them or interact beyond orders. You’re dismissed.”

The rear guard looks tempted to retort, but nods and turns on his heel and marching away. Kurt smirks as he looks forward, the group continuing forward. Although he hadn’t planned for one of the guards to get dismissed, he most certainly would welcome the change without a question. He had only hoped to get under their skin, or to unnerve and make them feel slightly guilty so he could find a weakness, but he hadn’t expected that.

Puck’s near silent chuckle behind him re-affirms his own thoughts that he’s still doing well. Well that and having Puck close to him is helping. If he had been captured on his own, he’s not sure he’d have this confidence. Yes, he’d still be fighting for survival, but it’s great to have someone to help out and to be on his side as well; especially someone that looks and acts like Puck because the intimidation and muscle levels would help out if they came across any soldiers on their way out.

Kurt peers down to the guys on either side of him, finding each carrying a gun of some sort. Although he hesitates, he still motions to Puck through his handcuffs. Puck coughs and Kurt smirks before looking straightforward.

“So what other kind of creatures do you guys have down here?” Kurt inquires as he carefully clicks the handcuffs together and frees up his left hand. “Aliens? Dracula? Should I invest in some garlic when I leave here?”

The guy to his right chuckles before turning to Kurt, Kurt reacting perfectly by stepping close to the left guard. “As if you’ll be getting out of here, boy. Just enjoy what freedom you have now before you don’t anymore. You have it very easy compared to some of the visitors that we get: aliens included.”

“I think I will.” Kurt mutters as he carefully looks down to the waist of the left guard.

The gun is hanging in its holster, but it’s half out. Kurt quickly relates to the cockiness of the guard to his haste to holster the gun and takes it as a win. He bites his lip as he grabs the cold handle, his nerves flaring up at the contact. He can feel is heart beating in his head as he eases the gun out, a rush of relief hitting him full force when the gun drops from the holster and sways limply in his hands.

He licks his lips before continuing his conversation with the guards as if everything was still normal. “Don’t we at least get to eat?”

“Eat dung!” The left guard chuckles as they continue to walk along.

Kurt grimaces before looking down, pretending to be defeated. He sighs with relief internally before shimmying the gun between his back and briefs and letting his shirt fall over it. Luckily for the both of them, the handcuffs hadn’t jingled their presence so far and he was able to put them on somewhat easily without them falling off. With a nudge from Puck’s head on his back, he knew that his actions had went by unnoticed and they were one step closer to getting out.

The giant room that they were in before was just as busy before, but even more silent. Everyone was typing away and/or in side rooms with chemicals. Kurt’s eyes immediately go to the giant window that leads to the Lochness Monster’s room. The beast is awake now, but its low groans of pain make him wish it wasn’t. The long droning noises fill the room and rattle the windows, but it’s ignored by everyone. It makes Kurt cringe and feel for the beast.

“Stand here.” The front guard orders as they are stopped in front of the window with the creature. “You have eyes on you, and we have other duties. Try and move, and no one in this room will hesitate to shoot and then detain you for further actions. Don’t try anything funny.”

Kurt and Puck both readily nod as the guard continues on and disappears into another hallway. Even though they’re in a heavily crowded room that has no signs of an ‘exit’ sign, it’s still better than having three muscled men be your guard. It’s even better seeing that most of the people in the room are on the non-muscular side. Not that it matters when it comes to guns and talents, but it does make him feel better to not see the muscle barricades.

“So what’s next?” Puck mutters as he moves to Kurt’s side, his eyes taking in the room. “This was as far as we got.”

“Give me a minute.” Kurt mutters. “I’m surprised we got the gun, and then losing the guard was a thrill too. I just don’t see what else we can do unless we get close to those pods.”

“Without killing someone?”

“Yeah.” Kurt frowns before gulping and nodding. “We said if we had too we would, right? I mean . . . I don’t want to, but we might have too.”

“I know.” Puck nods and bumps shoulders with Kurt. “We’re just trying to survive here. It’s no longer an ‘if’ situation about them letting us go with a threat and promise . . . it's life or death. We’ve heard far too many death threats in less than three hours for this to be anything but. They’re all carrying heavy loaded weapons and are doing experiments on animals . . . it has to be shut down. This is all illegal.”

“I know.” Kurt sighs as he looks around. “But can we really leave with that . . . m-mermaid here.” Kurt shutters, feeling weird that mermaids actually exist. “They made it sound like there might be more? Shouldn’t we at least-”

“We can’t.” Puck shapes his head sharply. “I would love . . . I would _love_ if we managed to save every last thing that is getting experimented on here, but that’s not always possible. If we manage to get out now or sometime soon, then we’re not going to have time to stop and see where everything is. We . . . we just can’t. We’ll get help when we get out, but that’s all that we can do at this point.”

Kurt nods and almost brings his hand up to scratch at his forehead, and has to stop himself from giving them away. “We’ll just do what we can.”

“And what we can do . . . is . . .” Puck stops before nudging Kurt. “How’s your aim?”

“It’s decent. Give me a sword and my aim is spot on.” Kurt shrugs before turning his head to look at Puck. “Why? It’s not like I have a sword, and I refuse to aim at anyone unless . . . unless I have too.”

“Well this may hurt a person or two, but it’ll get them into action and us a chance to run.” Puck explains as Kurt’s eyebrows continue to furrow.

“What . . . what are you talking about?” Kurt turns halfway, eyeing Puck with concern. “I’m not injuring anyone unless need be.”

“The glass.” Puck whispers under his breath as he nods in the distance.

Kurt follows his eyesight and turn around, his eyes widening as he notices the many glass windows in the room. There are many throughout, situated high on the room that showcases the ocean around them. Kurt can see the dark side of Scotland in the murky distance, meaning that they’re not that far from land. That’s hopeful. Through the angle on one, he can see that they’re not really thick. Mainly thick enough to allow the submarine to submerge, but nothing more.

“If I hit it at the right angle-

“Then the room will flood.” Puck finishes with a nod. “We’ve walked past those security doors so many times that I’m sure they emergency lock just in case.  The windows are what? Two feet by two? That won’t let in that much water at once. I mean this room will flood, but they’ll have to surface as soon as possible. If at all possible before then-”

“We escape.” Kurt smiles. “This may actually work, but-” He turns to Puck, frowning. “What are the chances of me shooting before I’m shot?”

“We need a distraction.”

“I’m not letting you do that.” Kurt shakes his head, the desire to grab onto Puck’s arm to prevent him from going anywhere being pushed down for the sake of going unnoticed. “Whatever we do, we’re getting out of here together. Otherwise I’m sure I’ll get blamed for your death by everyone.”

“Insecure Kurt is insecure.” Puck mutters before leaning forward, holding his body against Kurt’s as if to give him a hug, nix the arms. “It’ll be okay. If we need a distraction, that’ll be me. You’re the one with the future here.”

“Anyone alive has a future.” Kurt mutters as he rests his forehead against Puck’s shoulder. “And you’d thrive in yours if just given the chance.

Puck chuckles. “Yeah. Maybe. Or maybe-”

“Are you two boys lovers? Just asking.” Puck and Kurt quickly step apart as Travis’s voice interrupts them. “Not that I’m against two guys getting it on, I mean I did have an experience or two and I’m pretty sure my oldest boy is, but it’s nice to know. That way I know to bury you in a dual casket instead of a solo one. Saves money.” Travis shrugs as he starts across the room, stopping by them after only a few of his long strides. “Not that I don’t have the money, but you know? Don’t spend money on a dead mule and all that.”

“Charming.” Kurt spits through a fake smile. “And here I was thinking that I had a shot with you.”

“Oh honey.” Travis smiles as he reaches up and smacks Kurt’s cheek softly a few times. “You’re not my type.”

“Damn.” Kurt smiles wide, uncaring that he could be in a worse situation had Travis not been a humored guy like he is.

“But her.” Travis lifts his hand and motions with his thumb behind him. “She’s definitely a type. As long as we’re not in a hot tub, she’s perfect.”

“What?” Kurt mouths as Travis turns around and starts walking away.

Kurt cranes his neck to see over Travis and sees the mermaid. It’s been hours and she’s still in the same spot. The only difference is that she now has flakes all over her body and her wide eyes look dead while her breathing is weak. Her nude body has her hair fading and looking sunken in. Kurt flinches when her eyes move to meet his, that being the only part of her that can move.

“She might be able to walk on land, but it must not be for long.” Puck comments. “Once that water comes in, she’ll be good.”

“Right.” Kurt nods before clearing his throat, watching Travis walk towards the mermaid. “So what now? I thought you were trying to get information out of her, not dry her to death!”

“We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival. Winston Churchill.” Travis quotes as he turns to look at Kurt and Puck while continuing to walk backwards to the mermaid. “We make her suffer because she will eventually realize that this will help her survival. Otherwise it’ll give us new information on how to make her suffer.”

“I’m not sure about that being the correct interpretation of that quote.” Kurt’s doubtful voice is ignored as Travis smirks.

“Well how about this. John Lyly.” Travis taps his throat and clears it loudly. “In misery it is great comfort to have a companion. So I guess it’s lucky that you two birds have each other. I mean I don’t think it’s misery, but then again I’m not the one that’s going to be having a very unfortunate fate very soon.”

“We’ll see about that.” Puck mutters before nudging Kurt. “Do it.”

Kurt nudges the gun nervously with his non-handcuffed hands. He’s never shot a gun before, but that’s not what’s deterring him. This entire thing can go wrong very fast. The first being that he is shot, but the positive spin would be that the bullet would still hit the glass. As he’d rather that not happen, he needs to be fast and that’s where he’s at a loss. He’s always been quick-witted when it comes to people and his words, but his actions are usually well thought out in advance he has barely had a couple of hours to think about this entire thing. That and he has only been around guns when his dad was hunting. There’s a big difference between shooting an animal versus shooting something that could cause many people to drown and suffer at his actions.

“Kurt.” Puck’s loud voice penetrates his thoughts. “Do it now!”

“Do what?” Travis’s smile drops as he stops walking. “Although no one else seems to be hearing your secret conversations, I have excellent hearing and your low voice carries. Now . . . do what?”

“I . . .”

“Guards.” Travis snaps as he starts towards the boys at a fast speed. “Search them. I swear if one of you missed something then you’re in for a long night.”

“Kurt?”

Kurt drops the handcuffs and grabs the gun, swinging it around and aiming it up. He registers the surprise on everyone’s face in the room, including the wide-eyed and panicked one of Travis. He sees the guards out of the corner of his eyes, and hears Travis yell something, but his heart is pounding as his eyes focus on the far window.

He pulls the trigger and BAM . . . He falls back into Puck with a grunt, not expecting that big of a returning force to come back with such a small gun. He flinches away quickly, his body suddenly full of adrenaline and ready for action.

“Run.” Kurt yells out to Puck, but he’s sure that everyone will soon be following the order.

When the bullet hits the glass, everything seems to go in slow motion. Travis is already running towards the middle of the room, shouting orders while Kurt is pushing Puck in the direction of the nearest hallway. Kurt keeps the gun in his free hand while the other stays on Puck. By the time the water hits the floor, sirens are going off with red flashing lights.

Kurt and Puck are in the nearest hallway and Kurt is shooting at the control panel before they both take the chance to breathe as they watch the door shut. They hear the splash of water hit the door, but it seems to hold up and they both chuckle with relief. Kurt turns to Puck with a smile, his chest heaving and his heart pounding.

“We did it. We actually did it.” Kurt laughs as he moves forward and wraps his arms around Puck, smiling with relief into the boys shoulder.

“I know.” Puck chuckles. “But can we please get me out of these handcuffs and get out of here? Who knows how long that door will last?”

“Party Pooper.” Kurt teases before pulling away and gesturing for Puck to turn around with the gun. “Come on. The fastest way will be to shoot them off.”

“What!”

“Oh come on.” Kurt groans. “It’s not like I’m Rose with an ax. I just proved that I have good aim and I don’t see anyone willing to hand their keys over to us.”

“Fine.” Puck cringes as he turns around, backs up against his wall, and spreads his hands as far apart as he can within the cuffs. “Come on. Just do it. And make sure to stand your ground to you don’t fall back. You getting knocked out will do nothing but get us killed down here.”

“Hardy har har.” Kurt chuckles dryly as he reaches out and places the end of the gun against the handcuffs, trapping them against the wall. “Just . . . don’t move. Don’t-”

“Just do it or I swear-” BAM!

Kurt’s chest is heaving with fear as he blinks his eyes open, sighing loudly as he spots the black hole in the no longer pristine white wall. The bullet he shot out is embedded nice and neat in a small circle a few inches in. Puck is cowering on the floor, his hands spread about with the remainder of the cuffs still on.

“Whew.” Puck chuckles nervously as he drops to his butt, his hands going up to dry the sweat and tears from his face, although he’d later deny the latter part. “Wow. That was . . . int-”

“We don’t have time.” Kurt stresses as he leans down and pulls on Puck’s shirt. “We need to go before we get . . .”

Kurt trails off as they hear a loud roar coming from the room next door, the vibrato shaking the cuffs on Puck’s still arms and the walls around them. “What was that?”

The hall is suddenly full of the sound of loud glass crushing and screams of fear and panic.

“It’s the Lochness Monster.” Puck mutters as he scrambles to his feet. “It’s Nessie.”

“Don’t call . . .” Kurt shakes his head before he motions down the hallway. “If she’s alive and kicking, and now back in the water, then she’s going to be on a rampage. Now as much as I would love to wonder about the mystery that is the Lochness Monster and freaking mermaids, we need to go before Hell becomes anymore loose and we potentially die.”

“Then stop ranting at me, you little minx.” Puck winks as he races past Kurt, a new rejuvenated energy in his body.

Kurt rolls his eyes and follows. He’s had so many doubts in him since they had been taken aboard the submarine, but now he’s one hundred percent sure that they’d be making it out of there. They’ll even have stories and the experience that will jolt them through life. No more will he deny what talents that he has when it comes to normal trials and tribulations, because facing some man’s army with the mermaid and the Lochness Monster will make all of that seem small an unimportant in the grand scheme of things.

Puck catches his breath as he looks back to Kurt to make sure that the boy is following along, happy to see that he’s keeping up quite well. He would have never thought that Kurt would be an athletic guy, but he could easily run track or play a multiple amount of sports in high school that could have carried over to college based on how well he’s doing now. He’s seen Kurt fix cars, be a chef in the kitchen, and build scaffolding and sets for their school musicals, yet he chooses to stay with his safe interests like fashion and singing. He’s always thought Kurt could do better and he hopes that when they get out of this that he might finally see it.

“Here.” Kurt hits Puck on the arm as he spots the nearby wall map, already looking for a place to get out.

“Emergency Code 7. Emergency Code 12.” Kurt and Puck pause as the voice echo’s over the submarine’s intercom.

“What do those mean?” Kurt looks to Puck with wide-eyes.

“No idea.” Puck shrugs before placing his fingers on the map and start searching. “We shouldn’t be listening to them. We’re focused on us now and-” Puck stops as the ship jolts. “What-”

“I don’t know.” Kurt groans as he looks around, stopping when he sees various pipes and gages. “What are those?”

“Gas and ballistics.” Puck mutters as he kneels down to see more of the maps’ lower half. “Air pressure and stuff like that.”

“Well if I’m reading this right, then it looks like we’re going up.” Kurt places his hand on one of the gauges and looks to Puck. “That jolt and one of the codes must have been for that.”

“So what does that mean for us then?” Puck asks as he moves to look at the gauges, one in particular rising up. “Air pressure is lowering. That means we are going up.”

“So no escape pods.” Kurt frowns, his hands dropping in defeat. “So that means that we have to go out through the main area with everyone else.”

“Which means we’ll be caught.” Puck clenches his jaw before turning around and punching the wall. “Dammit! We’re screwed.”

“No.” Kurt shakes his head as he reaches over and removes Puck’s hesitant and possibly broken hand from the wall. “It means that we need to improvise, and fast. If they’re going back up, then that means people will be coming ourway. We can’t hide out here for too long. So . . . we think.”

Puck nods before bringing his hand to himself, cradling it to his body. "Let’s head that way then. Follow the map.”

\------------------------------------------------

“This isn’t going to-”

“Shut up, Puck.” Kurt hits the boy in the leg as they march side by side. “It’ll work.”

“But Kurt-”

“Puck!”

“We’re dressed up in their uniforms.” Puck spits through gritted teeth. “They’re a bit baggy and they know what we look like.”

“Only Travis and a few others have had a close up look.” Kurt retorts as they march down the hallway towards the entrance where other soldiers wait to get out. “The rest only have a vague idea and it’s enough to get us by unnoticed.”

“But they all work together.” Puck tries again to reason. “They’re bound to notice that they’ve never worked with us before.”

“Given the size of this ‘submarine’,” Kurt makes air quotes because he’s sure that it’s called something else since it’s much bigger. “And how many people were in that giant room alone that were just on the computers, I’m betting that there are well over a couple of hundred people here that don’t interact with others because they all do different things. We’ll blend in as someone that they don’t deal with. It’ll be quick and easy. Once out, then we’ll get to land and get someone. That was part of the original plan at least.” Kurt adds with a nervous chuckle before becoming silent as they approach the group of awaiting people still left on board.

Shortly after making sure that Puck wasn’t bleeding and that his hand still worked somewhat, they had continued down and had come across the bunkers where the soldiers had been staying. Finding a free uniform was easy when they started rummaging through stuff, but finding one for Kurt was slightly harder. Puck’s was easy since he had the same build that many of the other soldiers had, but Kurt’s took a bit longer. They had to find the smallest extra uniform and give Kurt a few seconds with some safety pins before they were able to leave. Puck walking close behind Kurt yet again was their way of hiding the big and noticeable fashion error long enough for them to get out.

Although Puck has since been hesitant about the idea of impersonating someone, having called it a cartoon idea earlier, but secretly he had been impressed at the idea. He would never have thought to do something like that, preferring something more physical and faster, but if it works it works. They had even passed a mirror in the living areas and he was surprised at how well each of them could pull off the uniform.

“Here we go.” Kurt mutters as Puck presses himself against Kurt’s back, the two of them molding into the large crowd.

Kurt finds himself staring into the back of a larger man’s crudely made buzz cut, but keeps his mouth shut instead of commenting. The need to not start a fight was one reason as well as the female next to him that kept rubbing his leg with a smile showed that he was being watched and he couldn’t get away with anything. He offers her a small smile before looking forward again, an extra ego boost coming to him.

It’s not that he was turned on or attracted by the woman, but if him in a uniform gets him a smile or two then the process of escaping might come easier. He had always been envious of the people that had good looks and used them to get what they wanted, but now he saw the appeal of it. Not that he thought he was attractive, but that uniforms looked really good on him.

“Move to the right.” A solder up on the surface yells out over the crowd, emotionless as were most of the soldiers. “Stand in Position B until further notice. Someone will be coming around to get your statements, recent records of your activity, and other various questions that will be provided to you shortly. Please-ahh!”

The top platform of the submarine is suddenly full of screams and shadows cover their views as they see bodies fly. They continue to hear screaming, gun shots, and splashes outside as many of the soldiers start to run out instead of walking single-file. Kurt reaches back and grabs Puck’s hand, relaxing when the boy squeezes his in comfort.

The top deck is in chaos as their heads peek out to see. Puckpulls Kurt to the side of the large staircase to let others go out so they can see what’s going on. They see that the soldiers that are screaming and yelling are the ones that are being picked up by mermaids that are jumping over the ship and taking the soldiers with them. Kurt has no idea how they can jump that high, but he’s not pressed to ask any questions.

Their teeth are razor sharp as they latch onto anyone within their paths. Several of them land on the ship, their tales shedding to reveal their legs, before grabbing a man and jumping back off into the water with the man in tow. The sudden reveal of naked woman seems to shock many of the men, but that wears off as their screams fade into the water alone.

Kurt snaps his head to the left, seeing the cove and cliff that he was at earlier sitting alone and desolate. It’s too dark to see, but he’s pretty sure that the celebrations from Internationals are over now that people are resting for the first day of competitions that comes in the morning. He groans, feeling hopeless about finding someone that could help them when they’re all asleep already.

“What do we do now?” He asks Puck as they duck their heads below. “We can’t jump out and swim, and we’re not staying here until it's all clear in the hopes of getting out.”

“They have a bridge leading down to the beech, right? Puck peaks up to make sure before lowering himself back down. “They’re on the beach fighting with them. If we run and keep going, we should be good. There’s no reason for us to stop.”

“But wouldn’t they go after us?” Kurt raises an eyebrow. “I mean the whole cat and mouse situation?”

“I think that after this experience we’ll have both learned that there is no cat and mouse, just creatures on earth that need to co-exist.” Puck smirks, earning a smack in the arm from Kurt.

“Fine. Even though it’s not that exact situation, I think we still need to be careful.” Kurt smiles softly before patting Puck on the shoulder. “Alright then. We need . . . to . . .”

“What’s wrong?”

Kurt gulps as he turns around, looking into the dark sky. “It’s . . . really quiet.”

“Please don’t get too cliche with that.”

“Shut up.” Kurt chastises him as he tries to listen for anything, but all he hears is the sound of the soft waves. “I wonder if they’re all dead.”

“We don’t kill.” Both of the boys look up to find the mermaid that they had tried to save standing before them, smirking with her hands on her hips and looking as healthy as before. “Well not all of them. Once they’re in the water it’s hard to keep them alive. The ones up here and on the beach are alive. We’ve decided that we’re going to wait for your people to deal with it.”

Kurt gulps before standing up straight. “So what about us, then? Is it near death, or full death?”

“Don’t be smart.” Puck hisses as he yanks on the hem of Kurt’s shirt. “Get down.”

“He’s fine, other human.” The mermaid chuckles as she steps forward. “And we’re not going to harm you. While being in this vessel, I learned that you had indeed tried saving me instead of taking my life. You are also not responsible for my confinement within here. I am here to thank you. All of the humans that I have met have wanted nothing to do my kind unless it was from behind a glass wall or at the end of a spear . . . so thank you. You’re kindness is to be rewarded with great karma.”

“I don’t believe in karma.” Kurt shakes his head.

The mermaid smiles softly. “Well belief or not, the universe finds a way of balance and you’ll be on the good end.”

“Well I look forward to that day.” Kurt murmurs before he looks around, spying many limp bodies on the ship. “So . . .”

“Go back to your love making human.” The mermaid smiles as she starts walking back up to the top of the submarine, Kurt and Puck slowly following behind. “The aura between the two of you is strong.”

Kurt looks to Puck with a raised eyebrow, but Puck is blushing. “Seriously?”

“Well I did confess something to you earlier.” Puck admits as his brown eyes drift down.

“Wow . . .”

“I am Melanie, human.” The mermaid steps forward and extends a hand, a small white pearl edged between her fingers. “I offer you this pearl. When in need, no matter where you are, just crush this in the earth’s nectar and I will be there to help you in your next quest.”

“Quest?” Kurt cocks an eyebrow. “I don’t know about the last interaction that you had with humans, but quests are nothing more than a challenge to D&D kids. Humans haven’t done those since the Renaissance era.”

“Regardless, this pearl is yours for your courage, strength, and hope. Three traits that all humans need to possess, but lack.” She smiles before extending her hand again. “I-”

“Don’t you move!” Melanie hisses and her straight white teeth become sharp decaying fangs as she jumps in front of Puck and Kurt, her killer glare focused on a worn-out looking Travis. “You three aren’t going anywhere. There is no hero of the story, and there will be no other quest. This is over. For all of you.”

“You are a hard man to kill.” Melanie sneers as she takes another step forward, her foot being painted red as she steps in a pool of blood. “I could have swore that I drowned you before I escaped this vessel.”

“Apparently not, sweetheart. I still have some unfinished business.” Travis smirks as he aims his gun in their direction.

“But why?” Melanie inquires with narrowed eyes. “Your men are dead. For those that remain, they shall have to be treated for many years to come. Is it worth it to fight a lost cause when I can call my brethren to come up here and slice your throat? They are waiting now under the waters edge. Should I not end your life quickly and mercilessly as you would of mine?”

“We’ll see about that, sweetheart.” He mutters under his breath before looking past her at Kurt and Puck. “You two, step out now. You’re easier to get rid of since I have the feeling that she’ll bite. Just stand still and it’ll be quicker than falling asleep.”

Kurt rolls his eyes. “Seriously. You are the worst clichéd human ever!”

Travis chuckles before frowning and firing. Kurt ducks, pulling Puck with him, and they both hit the ground with a grunt. Travis cursed and trains the gun on Melanie as she goes to defend Puck and Kurt.

“A swift death it shall be, my fallen enemy.”

Travis chuckles as he pulls out another gun, training this one on Kurt and Puck. “Can you get to me before I shoot them? Can you?”

Kurt blinks as he looks away from the two, the drop knocking him into a daze for a second. He can hear Puck saying something, but he ignores it as he looks around. It takes him a second to see it, but when he does he reaches out and wraps his hand around the medal pole. As he stands up, his vision clears up and he can see a few blood stains on the pole and it makes him feel sick to his stomach.

“Do it.” Travis yells, his voice suddenly high as Melanie’s teeth lengthen slightly and she stands up taller to intimidate him. “I’ll shoot them I swear.”

Kurt bounces the medal spear in his hands a few times before lifting it up and aiming it at Travis. As he throws it, he can see that the spear was clearly human-made. The blood on it means that a mermaid had been attacked and it makes him shiver. It was probably for whales, which wasn’t any better, but it had been used against a creature that was both magical but human in its characteristics. It honestly feels good to throw it for something good after the damage it had caused.

Travis’s eyes widen as he sees the spear, the guns dropping from his hands as he’s prepared to die in this losing and pointless battle, but the spear stops right before it hits him. Travis opens his eyes to find that the spear is only an inch from his chest, and Melanie is holding it. She smirks and presses it to his chest with slight pressure.

“What is your name, human?” She inquires as she glares into Travis’s dark soul.

“Tra-Captain Travi-”

“Not you!” She yells in his face before pointing to Kurt with her free hand. “You.”

Kurt has to lick his lips before he can speak with his dry throat. “Kurt Hummel.”

“Well Mr. Kurt, I have another proposition.” She smiles and chuckles deeply. “This man has been torturing my kind for many years now, and many have died from his hand. I brought him to the Loch for the reason that my brethren are gathered here, but as you know things changed when I lost my temper on you. Regardless, I would not like you to become a monster. You are a good soul, so you should not have his blood on your hands. I, however-” She turns to look at Kurt with a dark smile. “Would love to have it on mine.”

Kurt quickly nods, his legs feeling weak. “He’s all yours.”

“I thank you, Mr. Kurt.”

As she turns back to face Travis, his regains his nerve and knocks the spear out of her hand before scrambling back, his eyes searching the ground for more guns to use. “Just give up. You three just keep talking, but you never get anything done. I am Captain Travis O’Keenan. Once my story gets out of finding these magical creatures, I’ll be rich. No one cares for the un-human. We only care for our own and I’ll get what I deserve for this great discovery. I-”

Travis stops as a loud roar fills the cover. The submarine starts rocking and Puck and Kurt have to hold onto each other while Travis and Melanie manage to stand their ground. Travis goes to continue with a smirk, but a sudden dark and large figure jumps from the water behind him. They all watch as the Lochness Monster arches her neck out to grab Travis as she goes up. Travis is screaming as each limb of his disappears into her mouth . . . and then she disappears into the dark water below.

Kurt watches with a trembling lip as Melanie turns towards them with a semi-proud smirk. Surprisingly to all of them, Puck is the one to fall against Kurt’s face as a relieved sigh breaks from his lips. Kurt chuckles as he drops to the ground and hugs Puck, a choked laugh coming from him. In the distance, he can hear sirens and yells, but that’s not what’s important. What’s important is that Puck crying makes him sound like a little girl and that that brings a smile to Kurt's face.

\---------------------------------------

Kurt twitches uncomfortably as he tries to find the perfect position on the cliff side, but nothing is working. Everything is too wrong. He finally stops moving around when he sees a shadow approaching him from behind.

“Can’t you ever sit still?” Puck chuckles as he sits down by Kurt, frowning when he sits on a sharp rock.

“It’s not the same.” Kurt grumbles. “The other cliff had grass to sit on, but it’s a crime-scene now so we have to sit on the rocks.”

“Well only for a few hours.” Puck shrugs. “Because I mean we both know that Rachel won’t let us out of singing. Heck. We were only back from the hospital for a few hours before she demanded a practice that would feature us dancing and her singing a ballad.”

Kurt snorts with laughter before looking at Puck. “So how do you feel about everything? Did we do the right thing by keeping everything a secret? And by everything I mean Nessie and Melanie?”

“Yeah.” Puck nods. “I was listening in on the lead detective and he said that it was most likely mob violence or a bad money deal gone wrong. They’re already sending out boats on the open water to track any suspects down.”

“Good.” Kurt smiles before looking back to the day’s first glimpse at a sunrise.

“But there is one thing we haven’t covered.” Puck continues on.

“What?” Kurt turns to look at the boy, but finds their lips touching.

Kurt lets his eyes drift shut before licking his lips, smiling. “Ah. I was wondering when we’d get around to this.”

“Well I was just going to point at that patch of grass, but a kiss works great as well.” Puck chuckles as Kurt hits him on the arm.

“Idiot.”

“Well come on then, Mr. Idiot’s Future Boyfriend.” Puck grins as he stands up and holds a hand down to Kurt. “We have a three day vacation and I don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough of being surrounded by water.”

Kurt chuckles before taking Puck’s hand. “Well we’ll see.”

As he stands up, Kurt’s eyes widen. He had forgot that he was holding Melanie’s pearl in his hand and he watches in horror as the small thing falls. It bounces off the cliffs edge and makes its way down.

“Crap.” Puck mutters before looking around in a panic.

“Let’s just go.” Kurt explains as he runs past Puck. “I’m not ready for another adventure!”

_“Extraordinary people survive under the most terrible circumstances and they become more extraordinary because of it.”_

**― Robertson Davies**


End file.
